Nov 30 Beauty Loop October

This Beauty Loop box that came out in October (Level 3) had these goodies to try, and now I've had a good play here are my thoughts....

NARS Audacious Mascara in 'Black Moon': I definitely had high expectations for this, being Nars and also the hype around it. My first impressions weren't exactly fabulous, I thought some of my other mascaras delivered a wow factor a lot more. I also felt like my eyes were irritated, with that being said I kept trying it a few more times and really gave it a go. My eyes were irritated another time but I think other contributing factors may have taken place. For me it had a tendency to clump and not separate the lashes nicely and felt like I was just applying any old mascara, where as the price points for Nars is on the higher end. I also don’t like when mascaras make your eye lashes really stiff/hard; on the other hand, it was quite easy to remove and that is a major plus for me.

Noskam rating: I’ll definitely use the product up, but I still prefer my other brands in comparison and don’t think I’ll be in a hurry to purchase a full size. I can see some people liking it, just depends on what you want out of a mascara for the price you pay? There are so many options to choose from nowadays, I expect nothing but fabulousness :)

BAREMINERALS Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in 'Make Your Move': I never normally pick these colours, but had wanted to try something that was a darker nude and see if I could make it work, so it was a nice surprise to see this little one in the box. Surprisingly it’s not too dark but looks a bit off on my skin, but I liked how it felt on my lips, not too drying. Plus, I think for fair blondes you need to be mindful on how you apply the rest of your makeup or you could look a bit ghastly and stuck in the 90s.

Noskam rating: Thanks to Kylie Jenner these shades are majorly trending right now, on the other hand I don’t recommend to do something just because it’s a trend and think you really need to make some effort with what your wearing and the rest of your makeup to make it work; otherwise it’s not very classy and will look all wrong. I’m liking bareMinerals as I’ve only recently started trying them out, but for this colour I’m happy I got a sample as I wouldn’t be inclined to purchase a full size version. After trying it out though, I think brighter colours still suit me way better and this particular shade would suit someone with a darker complexion and dark hair….

PERRICONE MD No Foundation Foundation: I love Perricone MD products, so was eager to test this out! It’s basically a tinted sunscreen and certainly felt like I was applying one or even the same consistency as a tinted moisturiser; and No Foundation Foundation is just a fancier word for it. When I squeezed it out, I thought the sample colour (there are 2 colours available) was too dark for my skin, but it was actually fine and gave my skin a nice and healthy glow. The only thing is, I have some pigmentation so as a foundation I need a bit more coverage. Although, if I’m just wearing a hat and wanted a little something extra and also something that has sunscreen in it, this would totally work for me. Especially when I go for long walks on the weekends or just want to do some errands in gym clothes.

Noskam rating: I wouldn’t recommend it for someone who wants coverage as you won’t get that from this, but if you want to go bare without actually going bare, then this is perfect and gives you a nice healthy glow. This is perfect for me as I mention above when I’m just wearing a hat and out and about that way, or doing errands and can’t be bothered with coverage and doing the whole makeup thing. My only concern is the fact I felt like I would still need powder to prevent shine from the sunscreen…and now that’s an extra step lol. Also, with the price point… you could get the same job done with more affordable brands.

DARPHIN Essential Oil Elixir -Chamomile Aromatic Care: I have used Darphin before, but never even thought to look for something like this little multitasking oil. Whenever I hear the word oil, I can feel my skin already freaking out! However, when I first tried this, I was a little sunburnt and it felt fabulously refreshing when I applied it at night (this isn’t something I would ever apply during the day). It’s enriched with Chamomile, Sage, Lavender and Sandalwood essential oils. Normally I could never even dream of applying something like this to my face as it will instantly break out, but so far nothing bad happened. I can really smell the lavender in it, which actually is amazing on burns.

Noskam rating: This is something that is really nifty to have on hand if your ever suffering from dry and/or dull skin and need a pick me up, or even a tad sunburnt. I would definitely repurchase even though its on the higher end of price points, but with how my skin reacts to things I would need to decide once I finished the entire sample bottle to really see if my skin still loves it; normally I have to steer clear of aromatherapy oils.